Don't Cry Over Spilled Tea
by HMTara
Summary: Rio is currently recovering from her breakup with Neil and accidentally gets snowed into her farmhouse with her best friend Sanjay. The pair discover that their friendship runs a little deeper than they thought.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, Rio. I thought you were going to be out tonight with Neil?"

Rio could only look at him with sad eyes, and with that he understood not to ask anymore about it.

"I would be honored if you might sit and enjoy your herb garden with me. I know you don't often get to enjoy the fruits of your own labor."

Sanjay dusted the snow off the bench beside him and she dropped herself there, limp with the weeks anxieties. The air was crisp yet it somehow carried the warm scent of earth and rosemary. They took in a deep breath at the same time and laughed. How had she never noticed the way his eyes closed when he laughed, the way his head tilted back to show off the lines of his neck? He really was a beautiful person. Was everyone from his country like that? Both Amir and Olivia carried themselves well, and yes, they too had been blessed by the Goddess in terms of looks...but Sanjay had a noticeable difference. Maybe it was the humbled look in his eyes, or the way his lips turned up at the corners, or...

"Rio? Miss Rio?"

Back to earth.

"OH. Uh..yes?" She fumbled around her words. Keep it together, you're just on the rebound and looking. Don't mess up your friendships too.

Sanjay laughed at her absent-mindedness. "I asked if you were cold at all! Are you alright to be out tonight? You seem a bit...distant."

She scrambled for words, or rather to keep them from flowing forth like a burst dam. She wanted to tell him all about Neil just to keep the anger from building up inside herself. "I'm a bit...uh broken up...it's a little cold with Neil." Shit.

Sanjay furrowed his brow with great concern and put his hand on her shoulder. His grip was solid, but friendly. "Rio, did something happen with Neil? Are you alright?"

She blinked back tears. "I think the best thing for me right now is to close my eyes. Do you mind Sanjay?" He shook his head and released her shoulder. He began gathering his things from the bench beside him to leave, but a sudden weight on his lap stopped him. Rio had curled up beside him with her head across his knees, and he let her be.

It was Starry Night and in a way, they had spent it together. The thought of it made Sanjay feel a little flustered. It wouldn't seem right if the other villagers knew. After all, Rio had given Neil a commitment ring nearly three seasons ago and it was expected that she would marry the local animal dealer. Sanjay hadn't been too close with Neil, in fact he had somewhat disliked him. The most conversation they had went terribly; Rio had stopped by the mansion to give Amir and Sanjay some herbs and she had asked Sanjay that if in return he could pick up some animal medicine for her. He stopped by Neil's stall on his daily grocery run, and when he asked, Neil seemed very suspicious.

"What do you need it for? You don't have animals." He pointed at Sanjay as if to accuse him.

"Rio had stopped by with a delivery and said she was very busy. She asked if I could purchase some for her on my way to visit the blacksmith..."

Neil grunted. "I knew it. I'll deliver it MYSELF if you don't mind." He stomped away from his stall, leaving his animals unattended. Sanjay did not want to leave them alone so he waited there until Rod came back. He told him where Neil had gone and Rod agreed to look after the stall until his return.

Now Sanjay thought about how strange that situation was. In fact he couldn't remember seeing Rio until a week later. He cursed himself for not seeing their issues sooner; he should have checked in on her. Sanjay decided that he would talk to her about it tomorrow, but for now snow had started falling heavily and he didn't want either of them to catch cold. He slung her tiny frame over his shoulder, which would have reached the top of her head had she been standing up. He found it quite charming that she was so small, as her farm work had proved something quite different.


	2. Chapter 2

Now inside the farmhouse, Sanjay had stopped to see at how different it looked from when he and Amir had visited (Rio still hung from his shoulder, as he had forgotten the small weight of her by this point). The floors were now a beautiful tile, she had a sofa and fireplace, and even a double bed. She had made a vase and a record player to liven up the place, and he saw that all of her furniture was made with her own hands. It was not anything like the mansion, but he found it comforting, and maybe less cold than all the gold and precious gems he had spent his life around.

Sanjay stepped carefully over to the bed and gently lay Rio down. He didn't want to be too forward so he only removed her coat and shoes before tucking her in. Sanjay slid his arm under her head to adjust the pillow and upon trying to pull it away, found his arm caught in something...Rio had imprisoned his entire arm in her own, and she happened to be much stronger than one might think.

Sanjay panicked.

"Oh Goddess please do not let anyone come in and see this..."

Amir used to do this to Sanjay as well- sometimes he would knock out mid-meeting and Sanjay would slip him away over his shoulder to be put to bed. After all, if a prince is tired, he must sleep. Occasionally Amir would be disturbed in the shoulder-to-bed journey and lock onto Sanjay's arm, leg, braid...and Sanjay simply didn't have the heart to disturb him more. So he'd sit on the floor and leave the appendage to Amir for cuddling. He found himself smiling now at the likeness, though admittedly Rio was prettier, and a woman, and the implication of his staying at her house for the night was a bit different than what he would experience with Amir.

After 30 minutes or so of politely trying to escape her death grip, Sanjay sat on the floor helplessly and watched her sleep. Anyway, she woke up early enough in the morning that he could slip away before anyone saw him, and he would just explain to her and Amir what had happened as to not upset them. This would give him some quiet face time with her lifestyle (from what he could see in her house anyway) as he was always very interested in how farmers lived. In all honesty there wasn't much sign of it in the house. A few tools and seed bags in the corner of the room and a refreshing scent of produce were the only evidence. He craned his neck to see behind him, which was only a boring view of an armoire and a nightstand. There was a wispy bit of blue staring at him from the drawer, however...

* * *

><p>Rio's earlier behavior made sense now. Sanjay pieced together the renovated house, the double bed, the blue feather, and her sudden depression. The feather was wet and torn up, looking to have taken a bit of a beating. For such an expensive piece of sentimentality, it sure was abused. One of these would cost Rio ten cows, in fact...and it seemed that, if he was correct, Neil had rejected it. It was no wonder he wasn't around to spend Starry Night with her. Sanjay felt tears pricking at his eyes as he looked back up at Rio's face. Even sleeping she looked sullen. He tried to calm the bit of anger that was swelling up inside himself; he tried to not think of what else that bastard had done to her. She didn't deserve to be treated in a such a way. He knew her well as his best friend, and as a friend of Amir. This was a crime against all three of them.<p>

Sanjay repositioned himself so that he was kneeling at the side of the bed. He wanted to lay his head across the hand that was keeping him hostage, to comfort her even though she wouldn't be aware of his effort. He would leave after a few moments, he promised himself that. But the warmth of her body comforted him, as did the smell of the floral shampoo she used in her hair. He tried to resist, but her hands were the nail in his coffin; they were so soft against his cheek that he fell asleep immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

*BOOM*

A gusting wind threw itself at the side of the house. Both Sanjay and Rio yelped themselves awake. Rio pulled away from Sanjay as if he were made of electricity. Her face went flush and she held up her blanket to her chest, thinking she was in her pajamas. "SANJAY! Why are you here so early?! IN MY HOUSE?"

Sanjay was massaging his arm which was dead asleep from Rio's muscled grasp. He opened his mouth to explain when a huge THUD was heard near the door. The pair looked at each other in shock. Sanjay ran to the door and tried to open it, thinking it was a tree that had fallen outside. But to his surprise, the door wouldn't budge. They both frantically tried to open windows, but to no avail. Snow must have fallen off the roof and encircled the house, snowing them in. Rio panicked.

"What about my animals? My crops? What about Emma and all of my shipments?!"

Sanjay clasped his hands behind his back and thought for a moment.

"Rio, listen to me. We cannot go outside. I am very certain that we will be rescued soon, as the whole town knows that it is very strange when you aren't around. Dunhill can take care of your animals for now, and we will all help replant your crops once we are out. Now tell me, do you have food and firewood? We must keep the chimney clear for fresh air and in the meantime, I will make us some tea."

Rio couldn't argue with his words. She knew he was right- in fact they might even get out before nightfall. She got up and showed him to her well-stocked firewood supply.

"I don't know if I have much in the way of food, though. We're probably going to starve to death." she pouted.

"Miss Rio, if I may..." he opened the fridge door. A huge bucket of produce came tumbling out onto the floor. He laughed at her. "Rio...haha...my Goddess, you must have at least a years worth of food in here! Do you ever eat?"

She folded her arms in the angriest way she could. "Why do you think I give you and Amir so many leftovers?"

* * *

><p>Time was passing slowly inside the farmhouse, and the wind could still be heard outside. Rio cycled through her emotions about the situation and had finally calmed down in front of the fire. It was nighttime and there was no word yet from outside. Sanjay was reading one of Rio's horticulture books and Rio was staring straight into the fire.<p>

"It's very interesting, the way the flames move. Isn't it?" he broke her trance.

Rio looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "You know, in all this mess you haven't told me why you were here when I woke up."

"Ah, yes. Please let me explain. Last night you had fallen asleep outside when it started to snow. I simply carried you back in and I..." He pointed to a folded pile in the corner of the room. "..removed your coat and shoes and put you into bed. When I attempted to let you go, you latched onto me with a grip that not even the soldiers of my country could escape!" Rio couldn't help but laugh.

"I decided I would stay, or rather you decided I would stay. And then this happened."

A smile found it's way to Rio's face. "Thank you Sanjay, I'll admit I'm at least glad to not be stuck by myself. I'd be going crazy in here."

"You are very welcome. Miss Rio, may I be so forward as to ask you about something very sensitive?" She knew what was coming. Her body tensed up, as if to form a shell around her to hold in emotion.

"When I was your prisoner last night, I did notice a blue feather peeking out of your nightstand drawer. Could that have been for Neil?"

There it was. She released a sigh and tried to speak calmly.

"Sanjay, I want you to keep this between us for now.

but Neil and I are breaking up."

Sanjay flashed a look of concern so genuine that she couldn't help but feel comforted. She stared back into the fire as she continued on.

"When I gave Neil a commitment ring, I'll admit that he sort of guilted me into it. Maybe not consciously, but nonetheless... He had been sharing feelings with me and stories about his past that he had never talked about with anyone else before, and he told me I was the _only one_ he could talk to. I knew that Neil had social problems and I was really happy to help...and as you've most likely figured out, helping people is, well...my weakness. So Neil started talking about how he couldn't live without me. Maybe a little too literally. But he would counter his desperate need for my love by putting me down. This really showed up after the ring. Pretty soon he was calling me an idiot for every time he made me cry, and he would never admit to anyone that we were dating. The softest I had seen him was on my birthday. That's when he told me outright that he loved me. The next day I bought a blue feather. The small ounce of love he had given seemed to cancel out all the abuse. It was a foolish decision. We were dating for nearly a year anyway and other people were expecting it..."

She began crying.

"...and I don't know if he was mad about the weather that day, or what...but he rejected my proposal. He had the angriest look on his face, as if I were some worthless scum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. I began crying in front of him and he called me stupid and maybe he was right and I-I just don't know what is wrong with me..."

Sanjay let her bury her head into his chest and cry it out.

"Rio, there is nothing wrong with you. _He _is the one who tried to force you into love when you weren't sure. He seems to have a power complex, which is maybe why he likes to be in control of so many animals...I worry for them and for any person who crosses his path...and we both must admit his sense of fashion was just awful, Miss Rio."

She began laughing through tears. She wrapped her arms around him and repeated "Thank you" so many times that he had to ask if he could draw her a bath just to get her to stop. She nodded yes and asked if he could prepare some tea for when she got out. As Rio was bathing, Sanjay cried for his good friend, some tears of which fell delicately into her china tea set.


	4. Chapter 4

Rio felt a hundred, no..a thousand times better after a long bath. Sadly she never had time to enjoy one the way she did tonight. A giant weight had also been lifted with being able to talk about Neil. Sanjay had nearly finished with the tea, which took a fairly long time as he was fawning over every herb he found in her fridge. Every stalk of sage, rosemary, and lavender that he picked up, he would ask her how she got it so fragrant, or so bright a color. She felt a bit empowered by this notice of her efforts so she let him go on.

"Miss Rio, would you happen to have any honey?"

"Yep, three different kinds."

And then he went on for another thirty minutes.

* * *

><p>It was very late in the night but neither of them were tired. The smell of the herb tea had relaxed all anxieties away as soon as Sanjay set it on the table. So much so that Rio found herself a bit absent-minded. Or rather, her mind was not absent, but quite focused on the present; the present in which Sanjay was stirring her tea for her with the most beautiful hands she'd ever seen. They were large, yet graceful. His fingers seemed to play across the spoon like harp strings yet he payed no attention to the notes he played. He was smiling widely at her. She was going space cadet again.<p>

"Rio? Is that too hot for you?"

When did the teacup get in her hands? Why did he have to ask such a suggestive question? Now she was not in one place mentally, but many. Her eyes went wide and she said "No" only to find that it should have been a "Yes".

She had taken a huge drink of the tea, hoping to buy her time for words. What followed seemed to happen in slow motion for the both of them.

Not a second after the tea had passed her lips, Rio reacted to the heat by spitting the tea onto Sanjay, who then jumped up in surprise, which scared Rio, who in turn spilled her entire cup on her shirt. Now it wasn't just her mouth burning, but her chest as well and _both_ of them had to get it off her immediately to keep the boiling tea-covered shirt from scalding her more. That was 10 seconds. Now cut to a full minute of bright red faces and staring, which in comparison with the previous events seemed like an eternity. Rio was pretty sure her face was also being scalded by her own blush.

Sanjay broke out of his embarrassment and threw a blanket over Rio so that she looked like a covered floor lamp. He picked up to carry her to the bed, which confused both of them. Sanjay pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and uncovered just her eyes from her blanket. She was staring straight ahead, lips pursed and cheeks burning. Sanjay, with his hand over his mouth let out a shaky "Are... are you alright?"

Rio nodded her head but knew she had a decent burn. Nothing that would blister, but still the wool blanket felt like fire on her chest. She hoped it wouldn't scar- She was two years late in getting a full set of breasts and she was quite proud of them now. Please don't let them be ruined, she thought.

"Sanjay, could you look away for a moment?"

He turned his entire body toward the wall and fiddled with his braid. Rio peeled the blanket downward to reveal a long red streak starting at her collarbone and ending at her left breast. It looked almost like a lightning flash from a cartoon. Thank goodness her only bra had not been stained (as if that was any consolation). She pressed her finger into the redness and yelped.

"Are you hurt?" Sanjay's head flashed back around, and he held his glance, trying to keep focused on helping her. He pursed his lips, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Oh my, Rio look what I've done to you!"

Rio stiffened up and tried to keep herself from covering up again. He was truly concerned about her wound and the blanket hurt too much to put back on anyway. Sanjay shot up out of his chair and walked to his bag with the march and mission of a soldier. A minute later he pulled out a little glass jar of yellow colored ointment, across which a label had been written in Sanjay's language.

"You must use this. It is an old folk recipe, but I have used this salve many times on my own burns from cooking and I have never scarred. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I have permanently marked you."

Her pressed the glass jar into her hands.

"Sanjay it isn't your-"

He shushed her. "Please just use it before it gets worse Rio."

She opened the jar and smelled it- pungent, earthy, with a bit of honey thrown in. He must have made it himself. She dipped her finger into the balm and began to rub it against her skin. Much like trying to pull off your own bandaid, the pain distracted from finishing the job. Maybe she was more of a wimp than she realized.

"No, no. You are doing it much too roughly. You will only hurt yourself if you press so hard. And you have to warm it up in your hands first, like this..." He took a small amount and rubbed it in his hands. "You must use a very light touch." Rio waited for him to make a move. She was hoping he would do it for her. That would make it easier.

Sanjay blushed at the idea of putting his hands anywhere near a female body, but she was expecting him to help. How could he say no? He cleared his throat, not wanting to sound nervous. "...m-may I?" He nearly choked on his words.

With a great amount of focus and care, Sanjay brought his fingertips over her collarbone. His hands were warm, but the first touch was still a bit of a shock; He felt her tense up under his hands. "Rio, please relax. I will not hurt you." She let her chest sink down again.

His fingers trailed along like feathers, just barely touching her. His movements were rhythmic, perfect...had he been trained as a medic? Maybe as a masseur? Maybe both...

He moved his way down and applied slightly more pressure, causing Rio to wince a bit.

"I'm sorry but it's a bit harder to distribute as it..ahem...gets much softer away from your shoulder."

Oh Goddess. He was going to apply this stuff _there_. Keep calm. This is innocent.

He was about to reach the upper curve of her breast when she felt his fingers lift. Sanjay gulped loudly, surely trying to swallow the nervous lump in his throat.

Rio tried to ease his worries. "It's okay Sanjay, really. You're doing it much better than I could. It barely hurts." Their eyes met for a split second and averted just as quickly.

He got a bit more ointment into his hands and warmed it. The formula was a hardened mixture of oils and beeswax that turned to a silky liquid at body temperature. It gleamed on her skin, bringing him to notice how smooth and pale she was. Not a single blemish in sight with the exception of a few freckles sprinkled across her shoulders from the sun. He placed his fingertips at her breast and suddenly found it hard to breath. "This is innocent" he reminded himself. He quickly regained his composure for Rio's sake and went to work again. In small circular movements he rubbed the ointment in, causing Rio's breast to tremble. This made such innocent matters much harder, if you'll forgive the pun. He was nearly done now, except that part of the burn that dipped ever so slightly under the edge of her bra; he slowed his movements either to prolong his enjoyment or to prevent it entirely. A thumb disappeared into the cup, progressing downward for an eternity. Feeling like he had spread the salve far enough, he began to move his finger back out. In doing so, his thumb tweaked back just a bit too far and grazed over her nipple. He didn't even have time to realize what he did; Without warning, Rio's back arched, pressing her breast against his hand. Sanjay froze.

He hadn't noticed her state the entire time, possibly because he was focused on containing his own. He saw now out of the corner of his eye that her head was thrown back in pleasure. She was gripping the blankets in her hands as if she would fall out of the bed otherwise. Sanjay couldn't think straight; he bit his lip and carefully ran his thumb back over her now puckered breast. He was shocked to hear a small, breathless moan escape her lips.

"Get a hold of yourself Sanjay, she's hurt." Back to earth again. He cursed himself for not being more considerate and pulled his hand away, trailing his fingers across her chest one last time.

"I-I'm sorry..Rio did I hurt you?"

She ran her tongue over her upper lip response...another wave of electricity hit him.

"Sanjay...would you do me a favor?"

"Yes, of course. Anything Miss Rio." And he really meant _anything._

"Will you let me sleep for a bit?"

Sanjay made himself a cup of tea to relax his nerves. What on earth had he been thinking? She was just out of a relationship and now it looked like he was just out for her sexually. Which he certainly wanted her in that way, but the larger problem at hand was that he had actually _fallen in love._

It wasn't instant- he just hadn't thought about it before because she was in a relationship. He never let his mind wander to being with Rio before now. It felt like he was hit suddenly with a sack of bricks. Is that what love is supposed to feel like? Was it last night that he figured it out? It must have been. He felt a closeness to her that he had only ever felt for Amir, but there was more, and that more was very unfamiliar.

Now everything was mucked up. Surely he had offended her...his intentions were not wrong at first, but the whole situation had been so...charged. He wanted to apologize for being so forward. He ought to let her sleep, though. She had wished it and he never wanted to go against her wishes again.

Meanwhile, Rio was lying wide awake in bed. The pain had completely subsided and the physical burning was now replaced with an emotional one. How did she fall in love so quickly? Maybe she had been in love all along. He was so different from Neil and she saw that as soon as he and Amir moved to town. She hadn't realized it yet she was visiting the mansion _every_ day. Always using the excuse that she had too many leftovers. Which was a lie, as she would cook them their favorite meals right before coming over. But she never suspected it was love- They were her best friends almost immediately, every conversation they had thrilled her. She read books from Sanjay's collection sometimes, and they enjoyed tea together, and he was genuinely excited about all of her crops and animals. She had somebody to talk to, and it felt comforting. But maybe that's what love and marriage was all about- being best friends. How did this go unnoticed?

And then the ointment situation...she was ready to pull him into her right there. She wouldn't dare be so forward with him- she knew his curt mannerisms and that he hadn't felt the same way. They were friends. It was her fault things were awkward now; she had chickened out trying to put the ointment on herself. His hands were so gentle, though...she imagined the way they might feel running through her hair, along her thighs...

No. Don't make this worse. Still, she fell asleep with his name ringing in her ears.


	5. Chapter 5

Rio's good china rattled on Sanjay's lap. He was so nervous that he was shaking and what was this, sweat? He had never felt so unsure of himself.

"Rio..Rio. I have something for you to eat."

She sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Still topless, she caught the blanket before it fell too low.

"Oh...good morning. Did I sleep in late?"

He handed her the alarm clock, which had settled its small hand had on the 11.

"MY ANIMALS!" Rio nearly jumped up and knocked over the carefully arranged tray Sanjay had pieced together. He caught her but lost a fork in the process.

"We are still trapped. Have some breakfast, you'll feel better." He set the tray on her lap. There was a silver dome over a plate, a sliced orange, an omelet, and some...tea.

He laughed as her eyes widened "Here, look!" Sanjay dipped his pinky into the teacup and smiled. "I cooled it down for you! I won't let you have a fear of tea as long as I'm around." The thought of him 'being around' had taken on a whole new meaning. Rio blushed.

"And what's under here?"

She eyed the dome, realizing it was just one of her mixing bowls turned over. He still held his duties as a butler, after all.

"Lift it and see." His eyes were pleading. Her curiosity was peaked now that he himself had seemed so interested. She slipped her fingers under the sides of the bowl...

And on her plate lay a perfectly beautiful blue feather.

"But where...?" Rio plucked it from the saucer; the weight of it seemed less than air itself. It was a perfect feather, too... the shape was so lovely and it seemed to have little bits of white along the quill.

"How...how did you get this when we've been stuck inside?" She was shaking now.

"Well, I must be honest with you. That is the feather that you had bought for Neil. The one that had been so torn apart...I decided last night that I would fix it for you. I saw a some blue down by your storage so I replaced the torn areas and washed what I assumed was tears out of it. I didn't have any thread to sew the little pieces on, so I cut a sliver of the quill and threaded my hair through it. I was surprised at how well it turned out!"

Rio placed her hand over her mouth, and tears burned at her eyes. "But why...?" Sanjay took her hand into his.

"Because even though I haven't provided a ring yet, or even asked to date you for that matter, I hope that you will see this feather as a promise to someday marry you. I have realized in this time we've spent together that I am truly in love with you...and I know that you've just left a relationship, but I will wait for you as long as you need me to, and I will always be yours no matter what path you decide to take." He kissed her hand.

The feather that held Rio's tears, Neil's abuse, the feather that had lost it's meaning to her was now the greatest gift she could ever receive. He had worked so hard to fix things for her, and she loved him for it.

"Sanjay...Yes! I _will_ marry you. A thousand times over, I will marry you!"

She grabbed him by the vest and pulled him on top of her. The tray fell to the ground, and the sound of crashing china caused him to jump. "Oh my...Rio I am so sorry! Here, let me-mmph"

Her lips were already pressed into his. He let a moan escape as she bit his lip ever so gently...

* * *

><p>It should be known that Sanjay is very tall, and it occasionally gets in the way of things. Rio became quite aware of this as he lay on top of her...<p>

"Sanjay, could we, ummm...rearrange? You just kicked a hole through the footboard of the bed..."

Of course being the one with his foot stuck, he too was painfully aware of his height. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, Rio kissed him again.

"I'll build a bigger bed, of course." A sly smile flashed across both of their faces.

"Here, how about this?" Sanjay stood and lifted her from the bed. Rio laughed as he hoisted her up. "You're pretty strong, Mister Sanjay!"

Though he was proud of his strength, he remained humble. Still he couldn't help but smile. "Well, you are very light, Miss Rio."

Loosening his grip, he dropped her a bit lower on himself. "Now if I may have you wrap your legs around my waist here and..." She slid down and did as he asked. They were face to face now. Sanjay dropped himself to the floor, legs crossed, so that she was perfectly situated in his lap. His hand pressed firmly into the small of her naked back as he cupped her face with the other. He leaned in to kiss her but stopped short when their lips were barely grazing. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

"Rio, I want you to be ready for me. I will never let you be hurt again." he whispered against her lips.

She moved forward to continue but he backed away just enough, keeping the only a thin layer of air between them. "Are you sure you want this?"

Rather than reply with words, she took the hand on her cheek and led it downward, back to the very full breasts he had so enjoyed earlier. Sanjay smiled at her approval, leaving a very light kiss on the corner of her mouth. She went back in for more, thinking she now had the dominant hand in this game of theirs; that he would be putty in her hands for as long as he was caressing her beautiful breasts. Those roles reversed very quickly when he began sucking on her lower lip; he rolled her erect nipple between his thumb and forefinger and she let out a small yelp. Already she was weak in the knees. Her back was arched as if to grind into him, the more she arched, the more she felt him pressing against her. She didn't think she liked his silk pants until now.

Sanjay ran his tongue downward from Rio's ear, ending with a light nip at the side of her neck. When his range of motion was stunted by their position, he used his arm to guide her upper half down to the floor. Her legs were still wrapped around him, and this position _really_ pushed his hardness against her. Even lying still was enough to make her moan.

His hand slipped behind her, trailing upward along the soft curve of her back. Two fingers slid under her bra strap and pop! Her breasts fell back and trembled. Sanjay admired them with his eyes before bending down to do so with his lips. He held her tightly with both arms around her back and buried his face into her chest.

Rio would have never guessed that he was so...sexual. He was an incredible tease but in all the right ways. He already had her grinding her hips against his, and she was wet through to her jean shorts by now. She had bitten her lip so hard so many times that it bled a bit. Her body was boiling...but this was bliss. His wild passion was filtered through his gentleness and he remained composed despite being overcome by her softness and her scent. His head rose and faltered with her movements, staying ever faithful to her neck, her breasts, her belly; in his descent she hadn't noticed that her shorts had disappeared to who-knows-where. She was naked from the waist up, with nothing but pink cotton panties and thigh-high socks on the lower half. Sanjay let her legs drop from his waist and moved downward. She let out a worried moan that froze him in place-

"I haven't even touched you yet!" Sanjay laughed. " But I'm so glad I braided my hair today, it's quite wet down here!"

Rio blushed harder than ever at his comment. Sanjay was shocked at himself, my was he getting bold. But he felt awful for making her uncomfortable, so he made a suggestion to ease her worries.

"Rio, rather than you feel embarrassed, how about you sit between my legs here?"

He slid his back up to the couch and made her a space between them. She crawled over and sat there, straight as a board.

"Here, lean back against my chest. You can rest your arms on my legs if you like." She felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her gently back and then...warmth, electricity, a rush of blood as her back met with his chest. He planted a kiss on the nape of her neck and whispered "This way you can still enjoy without being self conscious about me looking at your exquisite body." He nibbled her ear and brought his hand around to cup her breasts. She relaxed and let her head fall back onto his shoulder, not expecting him to take advantage of her exposed neck. He left light kisses along the length of her neck, settling on single spot just behind her ear. She never realized she'd had a weak spot but surely that had to be it. The pleasure of that alone would have been enough, but he had also started teasing her nipples- He would give her a slight tweak and and then pull his hand away when she arched her back for more. To make matters worse (or better), his other hand was running along the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to her most sensitive spots. "Damned tease." she moaned.

He could see how pent up she was becoming- his intention was to extend this for as long as possible. It was his first time after all, and he was enjoying it with the only woman he would ever love. His own thoughts provoked him to go further though, as there was only so much that _he _could handle.

Suddenly Rio felt his hand on her. He had wrapped it around her warmth, leaving it still so that he could just enjoy the emanating heat. She could only respond with a squeak. Her hips lifted to grind against his hand, but he wasn't having it. He quickly pushed her back down and let everything be still again. He slid his tongue up her neck as slowly as possible...her legs began to shake just from feeling his presence, but without any movement she felt an intense form of emptiness. And just as if he could hear her desperation, he pressed his middle finger hard against the fabric, nearly penetrating her through it. Her legs went limp, her eyes closed, and she felt suddenly weak in the best of ways.

Sanjay bit his lip just thinking about feeling the inside of her. He had to remind himself to go slowly as to not hurt her. Her panties clung to her body, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. He started off by rocking his hand against her, to which she moved her hips along with his rhythm. He wondered if she realized how much enjoyment this brought him- surely she knew that it only made him want her more. It was becoming difficult to hold back but he continued...

Rio leaned forward and slid her panties off. She wanted more of him, and leaving nothing between them would be the only way to get that.

She could feel him throbbing against her back now. He buried his head in her neck and breathlessly moaned onto her skin- just feeling her naked under his fingers was enough to bring him close to the edge. He used both hands to push her legs apart as far as they would go- he wanted no limitations on his access to her. Starting at the top of her, he slid his hand downward with a small amount of pressure. She moaned as his fingertips passed her clit and again when they returned. She nearly came to orgasm just before pleading "Please, just put them inside- I can't stand it..."

And with that he slipped one, then two fingers inside of her. He curved his fingers upward and she instantly orgasmed.

Sanjay saw that his hand had been soaked and had intense urge to taste her. He brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked them dry. She was so sweet; he moaned, low, primal- like an animal taking it's first taste of flesh. He wanted her so bad...

"Can you take more?"

Her chest was heaving and both legs shook from intense pleasure. She could only nod.

"Would you mind lying on the ground Rio? I would really like to see you..fully"

She would do anything he said at this point. She moved forward and fell against the rug. Her hands were above her head as if in surrender. Sanjay kissed her gently and moved back down by her feet to take in the view. Her wetness glistened with each flickering ember in the dying fire. She was swollen and pink- he thought of the roses she grew in the spring time. "Just one more taste", he thought. His head dipped between her legs and he immediately went to work pleasing her with surprisingly skilled lips. He became slightly more rough, inserting two fingers into her while lapping at her wetness. Just when she felt like she was about to orgasm again, he pulled away. Not now! She needed him now. She couldn't stand anymore torture.

She used two fingers to spread herself for him. "Sanjay...I need you inside me..please..."

He had been waiting to hear this all night.


	6. Chapter 6

The wind had died down and all was quiet now. It was as if the storm was just waiting for their release of passion the night before. It seemed silly that the weather might change just for them, but Rio felt it was more romantic thinking of it that way. She had been quietly watching Sanjay since she woke up that morning; he must have really tired himself out last night.

A surprise breakfast would have been perfect right about now, but she couldn't bring herself to break away from him. He slept facing her, both hands clasped around her own. His hair had fallen out of its braid in the midst of everything the night before, but she hadn't had a chance to really look at it. The way it fell across his body was magnificent; it moved over him in waves of the purest white. She brushed it away from his chest and was admittedly a bit jealous at how soft it was. Rio put her head down near his heart; everything inside him sounded so gentle.

Sanjay awoke. His chest expanded with a sigh and two arms wrapped around her tightly. He kissed her atop the head and they silently reveled in each others presence.

"My dear Rio...how are you this morning? Did you get enough sleep?"

Rio rolled over and stretched. Her voice still sounded sleepy.

"Barely. I had this weird dream...a gorgeous man proposed to me and we made love in front of the fireplace. Cheesy, right?"

Sanjay laughed and kissed her cheek. "I hope he at least had enough sense to make you breakfast in the morning!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T." Rio rolled herself back over him and raced to the kitchen. Sanjay tried to catch her but fell out of the bed instead.

"Alright, you have won this round. But at least let me help!" Sanjay picked himself up off the floor and went to the kitchen. Rio stood naked in front of the fridge, hand on her chin. Eggs? No, Sanjay doesn't eat much dairy. Pancakes? Too heavy. Toast and jam would do. Rio thought it better that she cook with at least some clothing on, so she skipped over to the pile of clothes left on the ground. Of course, she couldn't resist slipping on Sanjay's tunic. The sleeves hung over her hands so that she looked like a child in adult's clothing. It was far too long as well; where it fell mid-calf on him, it hit her ankles.

"This won't work at all..." she thought. A deep belly laugh resounded behind her. Sanjay was laughing so hard that his eyes were tearing up.

"WHAT?!" She threw her arms up in the air and the sleeves fluttered like giant birds. More laughter.

Sanjay wiped his eyes, still chuckling.

"Here. Try this."

He grabbed the undershirt he wore under his tunic out of the pile. Just a plain white linen shirt with a slit cut into the collar. He helped her out of the tunic and put the other shirt on. A much better fit, though the sleeves still covered her hands. It was so endearing though that he had to kiss her. He made a mental note to himself that moments like this were the most important of all. He threw on his pants, remaining shirtless for Rio's enjoyment..

She put the works out on the table. Fresh butter, Herb and fruit jams, and a big bowl of fresh fruit. Sanjay, being the house cook in the mansion, was quite excited about the beautiful foods on her farm. She previously had let him take whatever he wanted from the fields because of overproduction, but he still felt a little guilty about doing his grocery shopping there. He picked up the fruits, sampled the jams, reveled in the homemade breads- they spent all morning talking about crops and ingredients, then ideas for the farm. There was a night and day difference between Neil and Sanjay, and she felt incredibly lucky to be with him now.

Mid-conversation, Rio was struck with a thought.

"Wait...why hasn't anyone come for us?" They were on the third day now. No sign of getting out. The snow hadn't melted from the windows, so they must still be trapped. Sanjay said nothing.

"What's with the silence?" Sanjay put his cup down on the coffee table and turned towards her, a very serious look on his face.

* * *

><p>"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"<p>

Rio was nearly yelling at this point. More out of surprise than anger.

"You're telling me that we were never actually stuck? That you just pretended we were so you could have all this time with me? You planned all of this and let my farm go to hell just so you could have a vacation?!" She slumped down onto the couch again. "What about my animals, Sanjay?"

Sanjay folded his hands and tried to show his most patient side. "No, we were stuck. The first morning we really had been snowed in. Dunhill and Hossan came by very early the next morning and dug the door out. You were still asleep and since I had plans to give you the feather the next morning, I asked Dunhill if he could tend to all of the farming while I figure things out with you. He gladly obliged...in fact he loved the idea and said he would help as long as we needed it. So being that we still where enjoying our time, I thought it'd be a good break for you from all of the hard work you do here."

Rio went bright red. She didn't know what to say...it was so sweet but part of her was still angry. A smile _almost_ appeared on her face.

"Still, I wish you had just let me get back to farming. You could have told me afterwards when I had free time..."

Sanjay shook his finger at her. Even his angry face was adorable. "No, Rio. You _don't have_ free time. This matter was of the utmost importance and you and I both know that it would have never been seen to had I let you go. Also, you can't seriously say to me that you haven't enjoyed this time off, correct?"

Despite being scolded, she couldn't help but melt a bit. It really was romantic, and he had taken care of her farm without even leaving her side. Rio let go of her anger and put on her best fake pout as she slunk over to his lap.

"Fine...but do you think they would mind covering us for one more day? You haven't tried my curry yet and I want to show you my record collection, and I have tons of clay figures from the ruins to show yo-"

A finger pressed against her lips. She hushed.

"It has been wonderful having all of this time, but we can't leave Dunhill all of the work out there. That and Prince Amir hasn't the slightest clue of how to handle the foreign relations paperwork, nor could he make good herb tea if his life depended on it. We have our whole lifetimes ahead of us to show each other things."

Rio let her head fall on his shoulder. His skin smelled so wonderful, something like sun and sage. She hoped that her bed would smell like him too.

"Okay...You're right. But could you just hold me like this for fifteen minutes more?"

He kissed her forehead and held her exactly that way for an hour.


	7. Chapter 7

Nearly a week had passed since the whole snowstorm fiasco. Word had gotten around by now that Rio and Sanjay were an item, bringing the reputation of the local farmer into a poor light. With the exception of Dunhill and Sanjay (who were the most trustworthy when it came to holding secrets), it had yet to be found out by the town's residents that Neil had rejected Rio's proposal. Though it wasn't difficult to see that polyamory wasn't the case here, as he had been missing since Rio resurfaced in the arms of her new lover.

Iroha and Yuri were the closest to Rio and the other townsfolk were urging them to get more information. They both opposed at first, knowing full well the importance of privacy, but being Rio's only mouthpieces began to take its toll. The two decided that a talk over tea might be the only resolution.

* * *

><p>Things weren't going so smoothly on Sanjay's end, either. He had swore to keep quiet for Rio's sake, but Amir had been hounding him since he had returned to the mansion. He could only ignore him so much, as Amir took every opportunity he got to ask. Meal times were the worst.<p>

"Nothing happened? I find that hard to believe, Sanjay." Amir's voice was stern through his smile; he could barely hold back from gushing over his friend's insane luck.

Sanjay continued to tend his windowsill herb garden, trying to keep _himself_ from gushing. He shook his finger in the air at Amir.

"Master Amir, please. Even if something _had_ happened, I wouldn't dare ruin Rio...ahem..._Miss_ Rio's good reputation over it. Now will please eat your supper? Your food is getting cold."

Amir flew up from his seat as if it were made of hot coals, nearly knocking over his plate in the process. Sanjay was starting to wonder if people had some objection to fine china that he didn't know about.

"I KNEW IT. Sanjay, you dog!" He grabbed Sanjay by the shoulders and shook the life out of the poor man.

"Sooo...when's the wedding?" Amir's eyebrows rose and fell as he jabbed an elbow into Sanjay's side.

A loud CLANG filled the room as Sanjay set the watering can on the counter a bit too roughly. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, and Amir had worried now that he had been too mean in his teasing.

"The second of spring, actually."

Amir's jaw dropped as Sanjay walked away, head held high and mouth upturned into a toothy, triumphant smile.

* * *

><p>"So when's the wedding?"<p>

Iroha sipped at her tea calmly, not even half surprised that Rio had so quickly found a new man. Everything had been explained thoroughly, and it made perfect sense to her anyway; deep down, she too had been worried about Neil.

"I...I don't know. I guess we were thinking the second of spring."

"But...that's...only five days...from...now."

Yuri may not have looked it, but this was as excitable as she got. Rio could tell by the way she was gripping her teacup.

"Yuri, you're going to smash the damned thing if you don't let up a little..."

She lightened her grip and went on trying to push more words out of her mouth. There's a reason she had earned the nickname "Snail Trail" amongst the kids.

"I just...I've never..." Iroha and Rio leaned into her words with anticipation. "made a wedding dress before."

Rio looked shocked. " Oh jeez...I hadn't even thought about it yet. Would you? I mean, it doesn't have to be anything too fancy, we're both kind of simple and also Sanjay needs a tux and..." Her voice trailed off, seeing that Yuri was already at her shoulders, measuring.

"Ignore her." Iroha sipped again. "You know I'm sure Amir would have no problem paying for most of the wedding if you can't, and I can help a little too."

Iroha's offer came as a total shock, especially since the only money she really made was when Rio broke a tool and needed repairs. In fact she typically payed triple the amount Iroha asked and even 'forgot' to ask her for rent every month. Come to think of it, she had never asked _any_ villager for rent. Rio was extremely successful on her own; not just in farming but in agricultural sciences as well. She had spent the whole last year breeding the most pest and weather resistant crops around while somehow maintaining flavor and low costs. Her dairy was extremely humane and the TLC she gave the animals had actually made them abnormally large and productive, easy giving over five cans of milk a day. She was not only getting payed heavily from the buyers of her luxury ingredients, but also by international agriculture specialists who wanted to buy her techniques. She had stopped even looking at her invoices anymore... she had Dunhill run all of her accounting. She pulled a slip out of her pocket that she had received from dunhill the day before and passed it to Iroha.

"What does the line under 'net worth' say?"

Iroha's eyes grew at least twice their size. She choked a bit on her tea and passed the slip to Yuri.

"...15,650,000g..."

Even Rio was taken aback. They both stared at her with jaws dropped as she started chuckling.

"So..Yuri, how does 500,000g each sound for a dress and tux? And I'll commission you for a veil if you'll take another 100,000. And Iroha...think you can be a 500,000g wedding harpist?"

Both girls squealed and hugged her so hard she thought her chest might burst. Rio called Olivia over to the table to discuss catering and the group chatted into the evening about wedding plans and what new fabrics and materials and ingredients the girls could buy with their newfound finances.

* * *

><p>Rio was nearly floating the next morning. She desperately wanted to see Sanjay to tell him all about how beautiful their wedding would be. Would he prefer marguerites or roses? Would he prefer traditional fare or something exotic? It would have seemed silly to care this much at one point in her life; she was typically withdrawn and very involved in her work. Not much thrilled her. But even the marriage itself was a surprise- she had never been too keen on the idea of holy matrimony.<p>

She quickly made her rounds on the farm and cooked up dinner before heading out to see him at the mansion. Tonight was the New Year's Eve festival and she wanted to join Sanjay and Amir in their walk to the festival grounds. She caught them just as they were heading out.

"Sanjay! SAN-JAAAAAAY! Wait up!" Rio struggled to run towards them in her tight red eastern dress.

Amir folded his arms and bumped into a now blushing Sanjay.

"Yuri cut the slit in that dress quite high, don't you agree?" Amir's smirk faded quickly as Sanjay glowered at him.

"Uh...I'm going to pick up Olivia. You two should walk alone."

She caught up just after he took his leave.

"Where is he going?"

"He...had some business to attend to. You look very nice tonight, Rio."

"Oh, this old thing?" She spun around, flashing her curvy thighs in the process. "You really like it? I know you usually like me in more practical clothing but I like to dress up once in a while too."

"I'm certainly not opposed to it." He snuck a quick peck on her forehead before they began walking.

They had yet to show any affection in public, for fear of word getting to Neil. So when Rio's hand intertwined with his, Sanjay quickly pulled away. Rio looked at him, extremely hurt by his gesture.

"Rio, please...I did not mean to upset you. I just want to protect you from rumors and worse, from Neil. I know you haven't told anyone yet about the wedding, so maybe we should avoid any public displays."

She looked at the ground, tracing circles in the snow with tiny red flats. "I actually told Iroha...and Yuri...and Olivia. And also Dunhill, because we need him to officiate. I think I want to announce us to everyone tonight at the festival. Besides, Neil hasn't been around, and I doubt he will be anytime soon."

Sanjay scooped her up into a hug, his hands smoothing down her hair. "That would make me the happiest man on earth, Rio."

He bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth, but stopped her short as she lunged in for more. "But maybe we had still better keep it light, as I don't know how much I can take with you wearing that dress." His fingers brushed along the slit that ran up her thigh. It stopped at the top of her hip, which brought him to realize she hadn't any underwear on. He bit back whatever lust might have flashed across his face.

"Let's get to the festival before the noodles get cold."

"The noodles are supposed to be cold, silly."

They grasped hands and continued up the hill, discussing cold noodle symbolism along the way. Their fun was quickly spoiled upon entering the bustling grounds, as a certain familiar voice was heard yelling over the crowd to gather everyone for the countdown.


	8. Chapter 8

Rio couldn't have released his hand quicker if it were on fire. Sanjay was just as shocked as she was. It seemed that Neil had shown up just in time to ruin their wedding plans.

"C'MON you idiots! Stop pushing! Just gather up so we can get it over with!"

Neil always held the role of makeshift security/bouncer at the festivals due to his commanding presence. Just hearing him again nearly brought Rio to tears. She began to walk out of the festival, hoping to slip away unnoticed to all. Sanjay caught her wrist and pulled her to a more private area behind a tree.

"I will not force you to stay, Rio. But this may be the opportunity we need to get passed Neil knowing about us; with so many people around he is not likely to do anything, and if anything were to happen afterward, he would be the first one people would suspect. Public accountability might be the best way to handle him."

Rio's lip quivered as she choked back tears. It wasn't just what he might do that upset her, it was also what he had done. Just thinking about what he put her though made her whole night go sour, and she didn't want Sanjay to miss out on the fun.

"I'm fine, really...I just don't feel like being out when he's here..."

Sanjay gently lifted her chin so her eyes met with his.

"He will always be here. And continually he will effect your life- our life, Rio. You should not continue to suffer in his wake. Maybe showing that you are happy is the empowerment you need. And I will always be by your side to protect you as well."

Her eyes grew wide as he spoke. Not only was he offering his protection over her, he was also helping her to protect herself. He didn't want to hold his strength as an advantage over her the way Neil did. They were equal in their relationship, one looking out for the other. Happiness swelled inside her and she threw herself into his arms. They held on to each other tightly in the silence.

"Would you do me the honor of being my date tonight, Miss Rio?" He bent at the waist and kissed her hand.

Rio sniffled a bit and suddenly went bright-eyed. She beamed at him, offering her other hand for him to kiss. "Only if you would be so kind as to kiss this one as we-" he stopped her words with his lips, kissing her deeply, but not tastelessly. They were still in public after all. Rio took his hand in her own and led him out to where the countdown would be held. It was nearly time.

Neil stood on the wooden stage next to Dunhill, satisfied with the way he corralled the townsfolk. Dunhill looked down at his watch.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Small cheers and hoots came from the drunker half of the audience.

"Neil, help me count down."

"5!" Both men shouted as loud as they could.

"4!" Rio and Sanjay worked their way to the front of the crowd.

"3!" Neil saw a familiar head of grey hair...accompanied by another familiar white braid.

"2!" The white braid was holding her. Close. Air couldn't pass between them. Neil's eyes seemed to be on fire.

"1! Happy new year!" Their lips were attached. Passionately. He held her waist. She was wrapped around his neck. He picked her up, spinning her around. Sickening.

Neil cracked his knuckles and pushed the audience aside. Everyone was hollering, throwing confetti and warm wishes around liberally; the scene was dizzying. Rio felt something jolt between her and Sanjay, prying them apart to interrupt their kiss. She nearly fell backward from the force. She knew that hand, the one attached to a red jacket, the jacket attached to Neil's head. Shit.

Neil grabbed her wrist and began yelling. Most of his words were lost, either because the crowd was so noisy or because she was so bewildered. His mouth moved and more words came into focus. It was all quiet now. He stared at her, fuming.

"Are you deaf, whore?! What the hell are you doing here with...with HIM?!" Neil shot a nasty glance at Sanjay, who had quite a look on his face as well. Something between utter shock and horror, with a mix of righteous fury thrown in.

"Take...your hands...off of her. Immediately." Sanjay stepped in closer with each word, bringing him to look further downward at Neil, who must have been almost a foot shorter.

"You want her? You can have her. I've had my fuckin' fill of this bitch." With that he flung her at Sanjay. Rio rubbed her wrist and cried through gritted teeth. This was too much. Everyone had gathered around in a circle, this whole damned town just wanted fodder for next weeks gossip.

Sanjay wasn't having any of this. Nobody expected him to be valiant, yet here he was, standing up to the nastiest guy in town. Surprised gasps were heard around the audience as Sanjay provoked the animal dealer further.

"Do not speak to her like that ever again. In fact, do not speak to her ever again_ period. _Now I advise you to leave this party." Sanjay hadn't even blinked. His faced was screwed in ways Rio had never seen before.

"Oh yeah? If you ask me, you're the one who doesn't belong at this party, you fucking sand monkey." Neil's arms folded, seemingly claiming victory before the fight was over.

That was the straw that broke the...what was it? Camel's back? Sanjay closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His fists clenched. His arm drew back and...WHACK. He shot his knuckles directly into Neil's nose. He felt a crack as soon as his fist landed, unsure if it was his own fingers or the receiving end of the blow. There was a good amount of blood on both, anyhow. Neil fell back on his feet at the impact, and that was that. Sanjay turned around to pick up Rio and head home, but a hand locked onto his shoulder stopped him.

In one swift move, Neil swiveled Sanjay around, wound up, and knocked him right in the side of his head. Sanjay saw a multitude of colors, all fading to black as he hit the ground. As he drifted off, he could hear a certain woman screaming, and he passed out with a smile on his face. Rio was screaming his name, once again.


End file.
